Wellness Center Services
From Acupuncture to Yogalates, we've got you covered at the Wellness Center.
Take steps toward a balanced, healthier life at the Wellness Center. Here, you can take advantage of a variety of onsite services: attend a workshop, participate in acupuncture, walk in for confidential health information, or simply take ten minutes to relax. That’s why we’re here!
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Acupuncture
The ancient Chinese art of acupuncture treats pain and restores energy flow through the strategic use of thin needles placed on the skin. Auricular Acupuncture is a type of acupuncture in which thin needles are inserted at specific points on the outer ear to control pain and other symptoms. It is thought that the outer ear contains a “map” of the whole body and that specific points on this map match up with certain parts of the body.
Benefits of acupuncture include:
- stress reduction
- improved concentration
- enhanced sleep
- helps lift mood
- boosts immune function
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Basic Needs & Food Pantry
Help with Daily Essentials: Safe and secure access to food, housing, and health care are critical to your academic success. If you struggle with these basic needs, you are not alone. These resources can help, so you can focus on learning. For more information see Basic Needs Support.
The Campus Food Pantry, a part of the Wellness Center, provides food and personal care items to current HCC students.
What students can expect when visiting the pantry:
- Initially, there is a brief registration process where your student ID (or a class schedule) will verify your current student status.
- Someone from the pantry team will provide an orientation and walkthrough of the pantry to answer all of your questions.
- Students are welcome to visit the pantry once per week during the hours that are posted for the term.
- Each visit, students can choose 10 items. If they bring their reusable bag that is provided during their first visit, they can choose 12 items.
The pantry focuses on providing healthier options sorted on the shelves using the SWAP (Supporting Wellness at Pantries) system, a stoplight system to promote items that are lower in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar. In addition to shelf-stable items, the pantry also offers produce from the campus garden, frozen items including meat, refrigerated items including milk and dairy-free alternatives, toiletries and personal care products, recipe meal kits, and bread – all subject to availability.
Location: CL 169
Fall 2026 Session Hours:
- Monday 1-4 p.m.
- Tuesday 1-4 p.m.
- Wednesday 1-4 p.m.
- Thursday 1-4 p.m.
- Friday 1-4 p.m.
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Express Facials
Express facials are a type of facial treatment designed to deliver essential skincare benefits in a shorter amount of time compared to traditional facials. Offered a few times a month, this is one of our most popular services. Appointments are necessary, so call or stop by the Wellness Center to get your name on the list the day of the service.
***Effective immediately students will be allowed to access Express Facials offered at the Wellness Center a maximum of once per semester. This policy is intended to ensure equitable access to resources and support the needs of all students at Howard Community College.
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Gender Neutral Single-Occupant Restroom
The Wellness Center has a private, single-occupant restroom available to anyone on campus.
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Healing Touch
Healing Touch is a therapeutic practice that uses gentle hand techniques to help re-pattern the energy field and accelerate physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual healing. Healing Touch is rooted in the belief that the human body possesses an energy system that can be influenced to promote health and well-being.
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Healing with the Arts
Healing with the Arts' mission is to explore the origins of life through mindfulness and sociology, while inspiring and nurturing the human-spirit through the Arts.
Healing with the Arts strives to create an atmosphere where the arts and creativity are valued as a part of the human spirit, and embodied as an essential element to everyday life.
Students are welcome to join at anytime. Meetings are held in the Wellness Center every Thursday from 2-3:30 pm during the academic year.
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Health-related Information, Referrals, and Resources
The Wellness Center works with community partners to provide students with the highest quality health services. You can view some of the resources on HCC's Basic Needs and Emergency Support page.
Contact us if you need more information.
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Lactation Room
The Wellness Center makes every effort to accommodate breastfeeding and nursing mothers when they return to campus. Students are invited to pump in a private, relaxing atmosphere. Please visit or contact the Wellness Center for more information.
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Massage Therapy
Massage promotes awareness, encourages balance and alignment, and nourishes the body, mind, and spirit. We offer seated massage in 15 minute increments by a licensed massage therapist twice a month. You must call or come by the office to make an appointment on the day of the service.
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Pet Therapy
Pet therapy is a guided interaction between a person and a trained animal, often facilitated by the animal’s handler. This form of therapy harnesses the bond between humans and animals to promote physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Its benefits span physical, emotional, social, and cognitive domains.
Volunteers with Pets on Wheels come to campus three times a month. Check the Wellness Calendar for dates and times during the academic year.
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Relaxation Therapy
Come and de-stress in our Massage Chair/Relaxation Room, available on a walk-in basis. Students are permitted 12 sessions for 15-minute increments per semester.
The Wellness Center and campus partners also conduct seminars and teach students relaxation techniques for managing daily stressors.
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Self-care Station
Grab-and-go items such as Band-Aids, condoms, safer sex supplies, cough drops, hand sanitizer, and tampons/pads are available for you just inside the Wellness Center office. Help yourself!
Please note that we do not provide any type of medication such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen but you can find it in our Wellness Vending Machine for a small fee in the basement of Academic Commons.
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Sexual Health Clinic
The Wellness Center partners with the Howard County Health Department to offer a sexual health clinic three times a week during the academic year. Services include STI/HIV/pregnancy testing, birth control, Well Woman exams, and HPV vaccines. Clinics are offered every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm during the academic year.
Starting June 1 through July 27, 2026 (excluding June 20), the Sexual Health Clinic will be offered on Mondays only from 12:30–3:30 p.m. The clinic will resume regular operations on August 24, 2026.
Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are highly recommended. To make an appointment call 410-313-7500 or make an appointment online
Reproductive Health Clinic: HCC Sexual Health Clinic
For more information contact the Wellness Center.
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Somatic Stress Release
Somatic Stress Release helps the body complete interrupted stress responses that can lead to tension, anxiety, sleep issues, and exhaustion. This gentle, body-based practice offers tools and support to restore balance, ease, and a sense of flow. In a 1:1 session, you’ll meet with a practitioner who works with you to help your body release built-up stress and feel more grounded.
Open and FREE to current HCC students. Sessions are 30 minutes. Must make an appointment on the day of service.
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Support Services
The Wellness Center offers confidential, supportive case management and brief crisis intervention services to help students navigate personal challenges and connect with resources that support their overall well-being and academic success.
Whether you are experiencing personal, social, financial, or other challenges, our dedicated staff can help you identify your needs, explore options, and connect you with appropriate campus and community resources. Services are student-centered, nonjudgmental, and focused on helping students develop strategies and access the support they need to move forward.
Dr. Shaw also holds monthly workshops where he creates a fun, engaging, and insightful space where students gain resources, tools, and strategies to navigate life.
Office Hours:
Monday: 10AM-3:30PM
Tuesday: 10AM-1PM
Wednesday: 10AM-3:30PM
Thursday: 10AM-1PM
Appointments are available by request. You can make an appointment with Dr. Shaw at sshaw2@howardcc.edu or by calling 443-518-3653.
Please note that case management services do not replace mental health counseling or therapy. Students who are seeking mental health counseling are encouraged to contact the Office of Mental Health Counseling for support and services.
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Wellness Vending Machine
A new Wellness Vending Machine has launched! The Healthy Dragons Vending Machine provides students with a convenient, affordable, and discreet way to access care. Available after hours, the machine includes emergency contraceptives, over-the-counter medications, and hygiene products to support students' health and safety.
This exciting project is a collaboration between Auxiliary Services and the Wellness Center, designed with student input and fully aligned with Maryland State legislation (HB 367 and SB 527).
Sample items in the vending machine include:
- Narcan
- Tylenol
- Benadryl
- Emergency Contraceptives
- Opill
- Condoms
- Deodorant
- Feminine Hygiene Products
📍 Location: Lower level of the Academic Commons
💸 Cost: Affordable, low-cost products
✅ Student-approved & student-focused -
Yogalates
Yogalates is a hybrid fitness practice that combines yoga's mindfulness, flexibility, and breathwork with Pilates' core stabilization, posture correction, and precision muscle toning.
Open to HCC students, staff, and faculty.